Sue and Lee's Vegetable Allotment pages, detailing all that we've been doing on our allotments, from clearing the 8' tall weeds that they were covered in when we started with our first plot in October 2006, through to where we are today, with 2 neighbouring full sized productive organic vegetable growing plots, 2 apiaries and 6 Beehives!!

FYI

Clicking on any of the pictures will open them at full size in the browser window, which means you will have to use the 'back' button to return to the main pages, whereas clicking to the left or right of any picture will open them in a new window, if you fancy a closer look at any of the piccies we've posted! We've included a Google Earth satelite picture of our plots and this years planting plan at the bottom of the page, next to each other. If you choose the Earth view on the satelite image you can rotate the image until it is lined up with the planting plan, then use the arrows in the plan to scroll from Plot 2 to Plot 1.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Rain, rain, glorious rain!

Well, the first of our 2 days off together this week dawned cloudy, with a weather forecast of heavy showers - possibly thundery! Not the weather really for inspecting the bees (they get very aggitated and aggresive when thunder is around), so after talking to Pat and Colin (Lee saw them walking their dogs past the front of our house whilst I was watering the greenhouse toms and peppers at home), and with the fact that Pat is off to see Hairspray tonight (with Sarah), we decided to put the bee inspections off until tomorrow!

Yesterday we had a fair bit of rain, with more forecast for today, so hoeing on the plot is almost impossible today, and as we need to get a bit of shopping in (plus I want to go and look at another branch of my company nearby), we decided to just pop to the plot, do some harvesting, then process it this afternoon, after shopping!

In addition to whats pictured - 11 stalks of rhubarb (possibly our last harvest for the year as we need to let them rest now), 10 more courgettes (with lots more coming), another 1 1/2lb rasps, another 2lb broad beans, 1lb french beans, 2lb peas, another lettuce, our first 3 turnips (milan purple top) and our first cucumber - we also took another 2lb of strawbs! I didnt get a piccy of them, because it started to rain just after I took this piccy, so we had to load everything into the car!

We didnt need to water the outdoor veg today, thanks to the rain, but we did water and feed in the greenhouses, polytunnel and hothouse! Plenty of toms, peppers, chillies and cucumbers all coming along nicely!

We also got a chance to look at the crops, this golden acre primo cabbage is beginning to hearten up, so hopefully a few weeks and we'll be using home grown cabbages to make our own sauerkraut!

The strawbs we planted from seed, really coming on well!

The late sowing of maincrop carrots are now coming up, as too are the weeds! I'd love to hand weed them, but its probably best to let them alone for a few days to allow the carrots to get established, then take the weeds out when the ground isnt quite so wet!

The late sown french beans are also coming on apace! Just look at the difference 48 hours makes, I can almost see them growing by the minute!

In addition to doing the bee inspections, we're hoping to harvest the garlic tomorrow, if the weather is dry enough, and possibly sow some pak choi or chinese leaf cabbages into that bed, we're also considering taking up a bed of spuds, the one thats been worst hit with blight, its still growing, but it doesnt half look a mess compared with our other spuds, and we've more leeks to go in after the spuds come up, so we'll have to look at what the weather is doing and how long it take us to do the bees inspections!

Your produce looks wonderful! I am really impressed. Taking lots of hints from your blog too. I was debating about sowing carrot seeds, wondered if this was too late, but now on reading your blog, think I will go ahead with it.

We have been deluged with rain, apart from Mon/Tues when I picked my first veggies and fruit, so dread to think what is going on up in my allotment when I return on Saturday!

Hi Jeannie, thanks for the kind words! Sowing later carrots should mean they are safe from carrot root fly attacks (something we've definitely had in the past), but may mean smaller carrots, which is something I can live with, so for us its definitely worthwhile, I'd advise you to sow some, afterall, they've 2 choices, to grow or not! If they grow, then extra crops, if not, then its only cost you some seeds!

You'll find the rain will have made everything put on a growth spurt, unfortunately that also includes the weeds! Good luck!

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About Me

I'm a 40 something yr old woman, married to a great guy, Lee, for the past 12 years, am a practicing Pagan Witch, and enjoy life to its fullest extent! Currently we are both enjoying growing our own veg (on our 2 organic allotments), looking after our 6 colonies of apis melifora (honey bee) and practicing my photography (on my ebay special Canon EOS10D) I work as a store manager for a finance provider, and enjoy reading, writing, cooking, camping and many other things besides! We are both passionate dog owners with many years of experience of providing a loving friendly home to our furbabies.

Beekeeping Links

Satelite picture of our Plots - Google Earth

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Switch to Earth view and drag the north marker round to the 4 'o'clock position to orientate them in the same way as the planting plans! Please note, the satelite picture is from last year, when we had the brassicas where the sweetcorn and squashes are this year!

Planting Plan 2010

Use the arrows to switch between Plots 2 (the left hand plot) and Plot 1 (the right hand plot)